Hazard Light Strobing Circuit for Legacy Vehicle Wiring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle hazard lights, such as those based on decades-old blinker technology, are insufficiently visible during emergencies and often not deployed when needed, posing a safety risk and failing to provide clear visual communication to other drivers.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle lighting system that integrates a strobe module with existing vehicle wiring and controls, using LED lights to provide enhanced strobing effects for hazard lights, automatically activated by vehicle safety systems or manual controls, ensuring increased visibility during emergencies.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If traditional blinker technology is used for hazard lights, then the system is simple and compatible with existing vehicles, but visibility and attention-grabbing capability are insufficient during emergencies
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the temporal parameter of light emission from traditional blinking (on/off cycles) to strobing (rapid intermittent emission), fundamentally altering the flash pattern characteristics. This parameter change transforms the light's visual impact and attention-grabbing capability without changing the basic LED technology or vehicle integration approach
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements periodic strobing action where LEDs emit light in rapid intermittent cycles during hazard conditions. This periodic emission pattern creates a distinctive visual signal that is more noticeable than continuous or traditional blinking patterns, while the control system manages the periodicity through software timing sequences
2Reliability
If strobing hazard lights are implemented, then visibility and safety communication are significantly improved, but compatibility with existing vehicle wiring and controls may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The control system is designed to work with multiple vehicle types and existing hazard light configurations. It can interface with traditional blinker switches, body control modules, and various LED arrangements, making the strobing functionality universally applicable across different vehicle platforms without requiring proprietary integration for each make and model
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a control system that acts as an intermediary between existing vehicle controls and the LED hazard lights. This intermediary layer translates various input signals (from traditional switches or body control modules) into the appropriate strobing patterns, allowing legacy controls to work with modern LED strobing technology without direct modification of either component
3Reliability
If automated deployment of hazard lights is implemented, then safety is improved when occupants are unable to manually activate, but system complexity and potential false activation increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides self-service functionality by automatically detecting emergency conditions through sensor inputs (such as airbag deployment, hard braking, or collision sensors) and activating hazard lights without requiring manual intervention. The system serves itself by monitoring its own operational context and making autonomous safety decisions based on pre-programmed criteria
Solution Approach 2:
The automated deployment mechanism incorporates feedback loops where sensor data about vehicle status and environmental conditions continuously feed into the control system. The system processes this feedback to determine whether automated hazard activation is appropriate, creating a closed-loop control mechanism that reduces false activation through multiple verification conditions
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The strobing hazard lights significantly enhance visibility and attention-grabbing capabilities, improving safety by providing clear visual communication during emergencies and automatically deploying when necessary, without requiring additional controls or complex installations.
Implementation Method 1
The advent of light emitting diode (LED) technologies has enhanced lighting capabilities to a point where vehicle based lights are becoming more effective as visual signals during emergencies and hazardous situations
Data Source
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AI summary
A system for implementing strobing of existing vehicle hazard lights (102, 108, 106, 112) including an interface to a vehicle wiring harness configured to receive input to an existing vehicle flasher module (1106), and a strobing circuit (300) that responds to an activation signal from the vehicle wiring harness that is indicative of a hazard flasher deployment event by producing an electrical output through the interface to the vehicle wiring harness that causes a strobing of existing vehicle hazard lamps